As the Dragon Aspects pulled themselves together Alexstraza revealed that she and the other Dragon Aspects were now mortal, having fulfilled their great purpose, that of safeguarding Azeroth. But although there time was nearing an end, new generations would be born. Alexstraza then gently touched Aggra's stomach, saying that new generations would be born implying Aggra is pregnant and bearing Thrall's Child.

As the Dragon Aspects pulled themselves together Alexstraza revealed that she and the other Dragon Aspects were now mortal, having fulfilled their great purpose, that of safeguarding Azeroth. But although there time was nearing an end, new generations would be born. Alexstraza then gently touched Aggra's stomach, saying that new generations would be born implying Aggra is pregnant and bearing Thrall's Child.

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=== The Earth-Warder ===

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{{Cata-section}}

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From the spell description of his buff in the Deathwing Raid: "Thrall, now the Earth-Warder of Azeroth, blesses all tanks with the immovable strength of the ancient stones of the world. Reduces defensive cooldowns by 50% and increases defensive ability durations by 100%." Thrall is confirmed to be the new Earth-Warder taking in the shoes of the last Earth-Warder, the dragon aspect of earth, Neltharion (Deathwing).

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Source:

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{{ref web

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|url = http://db.mmo-champion.com/s/106080/last-defender-of-azeroth/

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|title = Last Defender of Azeroth

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}}

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Revision as of 04:23, February 18, 2013

Thrall, Son of Durotan

Title

The Earth-Warder,[citation needed]Former Warchief, - Warchief of the Horde,Liberator of the Orcs,Lord of the Clans,Chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan

Contents

Personality

Despite Thrall’s open acceptance of visitors into his society, the orcs have not yet relinquished all of their old hatreds and preconceptions about other races. Still, they honor his leadership and will treat visitors to Durotar fairly, albeit somewhat roughly. He takes individuals at face value and treats them with respect until their actions prove that they should be dealt with otherwise. Even when crimes are committed, the harshest punishment that Thrall will mete out is exile — banishment into the almost lifeless wastelands of the Barrens, where the elements judge who lives and who dies. However, if someone under his leadership causes dishonorable and unnecessary bloodshed, or worse, consorts with demons, Thrall's policy is clear: a death sentence carried out with the help of the Doomhammer.[5]

To friends, Thrall is warm and generous, freely swapping stories and information. Hospitality is extended to everyone, but Thrall expects all visitors to contribute in some way to Orgrimmar’s survival. Visiting hunters often bring meat or fur in exchange for refuge from the elements, and human traders from Theramore Isle periodically bring casks of salt ale and seed for crops. While in Orgrimmar, visitors are under Thrall’s protection and he will not tolerate any threats or violence against them.[6]

Thrall is a natural-born leader. He is rarely alone, and in battle often spends much of his time directing his troops. In solo combat his tactics are subtle. He mixes a judicious amount of melee with powerful spellcasting to great effect.[6]

Biography

Youth

Thrall is the son of Durotan, former chieftain of the Frostwolf clan, and Draka. As a baby, he was found amongst the bloody bodies of his murdered parents by Aedelas Blackmoore, commander of the internment camps which held orcs after the end of the Second War. Blackmoore gave him the name Thrall, which was another word for "slave" in the human tongue. Blackmoore returned with Thrall to his fortress, Durnholde Keep, raising him as a gladiator with all the savagery of an orc, but with the keen strategic intellect of a human. He was trained and taught by many, wet-nursed by a human woman, and grew to befriend her daughter, Taretha Foxton. Thrall proved to be an excellent student and a phenomenal fighter.

He was clever, quick, and enormous even by orc standards. However, Blackmoore's abusive beatings both in and out of the ring began to take its toll. Taretha wrote Thrall letters and secretly delivered them to him in his cage within books, and he wrote back to her. Eventually, he wrote to Taretha that he wished to escape.

Taretha assisting Thrall as depicted in Warcraft Legends 2

Taretha created a diversion inside Durnholde Keep which allowed Thrall to escape from his cell unnoticed. They met outside the fortress by a cave, where Taretha gave him provisions and supplies. He then left Durnholde, hoping to never return.

Thrall was later captured and taken to an internment camp run by Lorin Remka. It was here that he met an old orc with glowing red eyes named Kelgar. Kelgar told him of the corruption of Gul'dan, and how the old ways had been so much better for the Horde. He told Thrall that the only one still thinking of embracing this was the undefeated Grom Hellscream, Chieftain of the Warsong clan. When another prisoner told Thrall that Blackmoore had arrived at the camp looking for him, Thrall escaped again and searched for Grom Hellscream.

The orcs

After finding the Grom Hellscream and proving himself, Thrall was taken under Hellscream's wing and taught the Orcish tongue. Grom revealed to him that Thrall was part of the exiled Frostwolf clan, as evidenced by the tattered swaddling cloth Thrall showed him. After spending some time with Hellscream, Thrall decided to depart and search out his roots in the Alterac Mountains.

After trekking to exhaustion, Thrall was rescued by the Frostwolves and taken to their camp. There he met Drek'Thar, who told Thrall that he was the son of the chieftain of the Frostwolves. After finding his place among the Frostwolves, Thrall was taught the old ways of the Horde by Drek'Thar, as it was before Gul'dan's corruption. Soon Thrall was accepted as a member of the clan. A frost wolf named Snowsong eventually chose Thrall as her companion. It was some time after that choosing that he was called away by Drek'Thar, and came upon a quiet place where he had never been or seen before. Here he was to be initiated.

In one of the most spiritual experiences of his life, Thrall befriended the spirits of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and the Wilds. He became the first new shaman since Gul'dan's vile corruption of the Horde. He returned to the camp a new orc and became fully immersed in the old ways of the shaman and his clan, embracing his role as son of the chieftain. This was a significant and symbolic event, since Thrall was the first shaman to be accepted by the spirits since Drek'Thar's time. Not only did this mean Thrall would be destined to be one of the greatest shamans in orcish history, but it also meant that the spirits finally forgave the orcish race for consorting with demonic powers, and deemed Thrall as the first of a new generation of shamans.

The camp was soon visited by a wandering stranger. At first, Thrall spoke pleasantly with him, but began to grow angry when the stranger accused the Frostwolves of hiding away in the mountains. His fury and orcish pride growing within him, Thrall informed the stranger that he would join with Hellscream and the Warsong and lay siege to the encampments. The stranger dismissed Hellscream as a "demon-ridden dreamer", and said that the humans were not worth fighting. Enraged, Thrall challenged the stranger to single combat. The stranger threw aside his cloak to reveal well-worn black plate armor and a massive warhammer. After a short but brutal contest, Thrall managed to disarm his foe, but was prevented from throttling the stranger by some of his clan. It was then the stranger revealed himself as Orgrim Doomhammer, the Warchief of the Horde. Doomhammer had been contacted by Drek'Thar about the return of the son of Durotan. The Warchief decided to provoke Thrall into a fight to see if Drek'Thar's praise was deserved, and it was. Not only was Thrall able to challenge Doomhammer's strength, he also was able to best him, a feat only once before accomplished by Thrall's father.

Liberation

Doomhammer named Thrall his second-in-command and explained his strategy for liberating the encampments. Per Doomhammer's plan, Thrall infiltrated the camps masquerading as one of the downtrodden, lethargic prisoners, and then riled the orcs up with shows of his shamanistic powers. With the downtrodden orcs revitalized by their restored heritage, they quickly overran the encampments. On the first three encampments, this proved to be an effective tactic. On the fourth, Thrall was too easily recognized, and thus they had to resort to the numbers of the new Horde — and the shamanistic powers wielded by Thrall — to liberate the encampment. At the fifth, however, the enemy was even better prepared. Knights from Durnholde had been stationed at the remaining encampments. During the liberation of this encampment (now the Horde outpost of Hammerfall in the Arathi Highlands) Doomhammer was killed, impaled from behind by a knight's lance. With his dying breath, he gave Thrall his black plate and warhammer, and named him Warchief of the Horde.

Thrall's first action as Warchief was to attack Durnholde in an effort to dismantle the entire internment camp system. He secretly met with Taretha, asking her to leave Durnholde with her family, but she refused, hoping it would never come to battle and fearful of the consequences if Blackmoore noticed her missing. Since Thrall's departure long ago, Blackmoore had taken her as his mistress, though it was an arrangement she had never been happy with. When Thrall arrived at Durnholde with the Horde at his back, he confronted a drunken Blackmoore and asked for a peaceful parlay in order to prevent useless bloodshed. Blackmoore went through a plethora of emotions, from amusement at Thrall's rise to power, anger at what the Warchief was demanding, and grief at how Thrall had supposedly betrayed him. Once again Thrall demanded that Blackmoore surrender. The master of Durnholde gave his response by tossing the severed head of Taretha Foxton into the courtyard, screaming that this was what he would do with traitors.

Thrall cried out in rage and grief, the elements echoing his fury, and he gave the command to attack. During the siege, Thrall cornered Blackmoore in his hidden tunnel and tossed a sword at the traitorous man's feet. Blackmoore had sobered enough to hold his own against the Warchief, who had been holding back to allow Blackmoore a fighting chance. When Blackmoore tried to explain his actions and asked for Thrall's aid to help him subjugate the Alliance, the Warchief's rage at Taretha's fate broke all barriers, and struck Blackmoore down. As he lay dying, the master of Durnholde expressed pride in what Thrall had become, what Blackmoore claimed credit for making him into.

Thrall emerged shaken from the castle to find his orcs victorious. Thrall gave a message to Blackmoore's second-in-command, Lord Karramyn Langston, to take to his superiors: free the remaining orcs and cede land for their use. If the Alliance would let them be, they would not trouble them and would be willing to engage in cooperation and trade. If the Alliance chose to fight them, they would make an enemy the likes of which had never been seen before, making the old warlock-controlled Horde shrink to insignificance. He then left Durnholde after allowing the Sergeant and surviving humans to walk away unharmed. When they were gone he called upon the Spirit of the Earth to destroy the keep before leading his people to freedom.

Thrall later composed a lok'vadnod ("song of a hero") to commemorate Taretha's sacrifice.

Flight to Kalimdor

Thrall and Grom had spent much time gathering together the dispersed forces of the Horde. But it was some time later, when Thrall was with a small force in the Arathi Highlands, that he received a strange dream. He saw armies clashing and fire raining from the sky, and a voice warning him of things to come.[7]

When he awoke, he realized that it was no dream, but a vision granted him by the mysterious Prophet. The Prophet enigmatically told him that he was not what he seemed and that he had abandoned his humanity long ago. He had foreseen a future where the only hope for the orcs' salvation was to leave Lordaeron and sail west to Kalimdor. There, they would find their destiny.[8]

Thrall obeyed, and gathering the Horde, prepared to make his way across the Great Sea. Grom Hellscream was captured by humans, however, and Thrall quickly stepped in to save him. Hellscream got the idea to steal the humans' ships so they could leave the human lands forever. With the Horde assembled, they did just that, sailing across the Great Sea to the forgotten lands of Kalimdor.[9]

Exodus of the Horde

Halfway along their journey to Kalimdor, Thrall's ships were beset by a fierce storm near the Maelstrom and forced to take shelter on a small island. There the orcs met the troll leader, Sen'jin, who told them of a human outpost that attacked his tribe night and day on the island. Fearing for the Horde and the Darkspear Trolls' safety, Thrall and his warriors assaulted the human base. Aided by the Darkspear trolls he killed the human leader, an archmage, but then many murlocs attacked the armies. While the orcish and human forces were occupied with one another, the piscine monsters sought out sacrifices for their rituals.[10]

Thrall was captured and imprisoned within the murlocs' fiery dungeon. He learned from a troll head hunter, with whom he shared a cell, that the murlocs planned to sacrifice them both to a sea witch. Though the murlocs were strangely advanced, they were unaware of Thrall's shamanistic abilities, and the warchief was able to escape and free his warriors. One grunt, however, reported that Sen'jin was not in the cells. He had been taken away as the first sacrifice. Thrall raced to the altar, but was forced to watch in horror as the murloc sorcerer killed Sen'jin. Thrall and his warriors were able to kill the three Murloc Guardians maintaining the magic barrier which prevented their escape and the Murloc Sorcerer, but it was too late for the troll leader. The dying Sen'jin revealed a vision: Thrall would lead the Darkspear tribe to greatness. Thrall then offered the remaining trolls a place in the Horde for the kindness they had shown the orcs.[11]

Thrall emerged from the cave and was confronted by the Sea Witch. She threatened vengeance for the destruction of her altar and worshipers. She placed a curse upon the warchief, that he and all his forces would be swallowed up by the sea. Upon returning to his base camp, Thrall discovered that his ships, damaged by the storm, were not yet ready to sail. He also learned that the island's dormant volcano had erupted and the island was beginning to sink. The Sea Witch launched her murloc forces against the Horde, thirsty for vengeance. Aided by the trolls, the Horde was able to hold off their attackers long enough to repair their ships and managed to escape before the isle sank. The Sea Witch warned Thrall that a "Dark Tide" would swallow them all and that there was nowhere to hide.[12]

The sea witch's curse may have come true, depending on how close her island was to Kalimdor. Thrall's forces were shipwrecked. It can be assumed that other clans, such as Hellscream's, were not among those caught by the storm and driven to the island.

Kalimdor

The ships had been scattered and many of those on board barely made it to the shores of Kalimdor alive. With the clans were separated, Thrall slowly roamed the coast, collecting the orcs and trolls he came across. Grom could not be found, however.

This new land held many strange new creatures, but the most brutal were the centaurs, particularly in their treatment of the tauren.[13] When Thrall battled a group of centaurs who were attacking tauren, he was unexpectedly greeted by Cairne Bloodhoof, chieftain of the Bloodhoof tribe. Impressed by the Horde's fierce but noble behavior, Cairne offered to help Thrall discover the fate of his people. Thrall told Cairne of a centaur army he had seen advancing to the north. Thrall's forces followed Cairne back to his village, where they defended it from the centaurs.[13]

Since the centaurs had driven off all the game in the region, the Bloodhoof tribe were forced to abandon their home and travel to Mulgore if they hoped to avoid starving. Cairne agreed to tell the location of the Oracle, who would help the orcs with their quest, but only if they would help protect Cairne's caravan to Mulgore. Thrall agreed to these terms and helped the tauren on their lengthy journey, protecting them and their lumbering kodo beasts from marauding centaurs.[14]

Cairne told Thrall of the mystical Oracle of Stonetalon Peak who could help them find their destiny in these strange lands. Thrall, glad at having made a new friend in the foreign land, thanked Cairne gratefully, and they parted as allies.[14]

When Thrall arrived at the base of Stonetalon Peak, he was shocked to find Grom Hellscream and the Warsong clan battling humans under the command of Jaina Proudmoore. Her forces had cordoned off much of the pass up the mountain. Thrall considered hiring goblins to ferry them up the mountain in zeppelins, as it would allow them to bypass any defenses. However, as Thrall tried to make his way stealthily up to the goblins, the impatient Hellscream unexpectedly attacked the humans. Thrall confronted Grom, but Hellscream argued that "a true warrior" would have fought the humans without question instead of trying to sneak past them and avoid battle.[15]

Thrall, worried that Grom's impetuous bloodlust would lead to nothing but trouble, ordered his friend and clan to remain behind in Ashenvale as Thrall journeyed up the mountain. Grom reluctantly agreed.[15]

Thrall made his way up the mountain, surprised to find his path crossing that of Cairne once again. Cairne suggested they ally with the wyverns of Stonetalon Mountains. The wyverns were imprisoned by a group of vile harpies. After a short battle the harpies were defeated, and the grateful wyverns lent their services to Thrall and the Horde. With their help, Thrall defeated the humans guarding the Peak and entered the mountain.[16]

Thrall and Cairne searched the area. After much time, they found the Oracle's chamber, but they also found Jaina Proudmoore. About to battle her, they were interrupted when the Oracle appeared. He revealed that he had appeared to Jaina as well as Thrall. He also informed Thrall of Grom's corruption, and that the orcs and humans must join forces or be destroyed. Reluctantly, Thrall agreed, desperate to save Grom.[17]

Lifting of the Blood Curse

They returned to the Barrens to find Grom in command of the corrupted Warsong clan, and Thrall moved against them as the demonic invasion of Kalimdor began. An epic battle took place between the Warchief and Hellscream's forces as the fire of falling infernals lit up the night sky. With the help of Cairne, Thrall fought his way through the ranks of blood-maddened chaos orcs, determined to reach Hellscream at all costs. After all but defeating Hellscream's cadre of doomguards, felhounds, and warlocks, Thrall faced his old friend.

Hellscream taunted the Warchief, revealing that the orc chieftains had willingly chosen to drink the demon's blood with full knowledge that it would forever enslave them to the Legions' dark rule. Enraged, Thrall charged at his old friend. After a long and desperate struggle, Thrall managed to capture Grom's essence in a Soul Gem.

Thrall later returned this gem to a Ritual Circle. With the combination of orcishshamanism and elven magic, the demonic energy was purged from Grom's system. Grom, realizing what he had done, was instantly apologetic, and he and Thrall immediately set out to face Mannoroth in a canyon carved by the falling infernals.[18]

Thrall launched the initial assault against Mannoroth, but was quickly subdued. He would have been killed had Grom not gathered his strength and made a devastating blow against Mannoroth. He shattered his plate and drove his axe deep into the demon's belly. This was enough to kill the pit lord, but as Mannoroth died, explosive energies burst forth from his body and hit Grom at point blank range. The chieftain of the Warsong clan was mortally wounded. As the demonic, red haze lifted from the eyes of Grom Hellscream and his clan mates, Thrall approached Grom. He told him he had freed not just himself, but all the orcs from demonic corruption.[19]

Battle of Mount Hyjal

Thrall and Jaina traveled into Ashenvale, finding a new threat surrounding them. The night elves, cursing the orcs for killing Cenarius, attacked them as they attempted to make a new settlement.[20]

The demons and undead, orcs and humans, and night elves fought one another.[21][22] Thrall received a vision instructing him to bring Jaina to a grove at the base of Mount Hyjal. Following the vision's orders, he took Jaina to the mountain. There, he unexpectedly met the leaders of the night elves, Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage. The Prophet appeared, revealing himself to be Medivh, the Last Guardian of Tirisfal. He convinced them that they must ally against the Burning Legion or they would surely and quickly be defeated.[23]

Though uneasy, Tyrande and Malfurion agreed, and they all allied against Archimonde and his plethora of demonic and undead followers.[24]

As Archimonde made his way up the mountain towards Thrall's base, he taunted Thrall by saying that his race wasn't worth bothering with and that the orcs were weak. Thrall replied that their spirit was strong and if they were to be defeated at least they would be free. Thrall then struck with his shamanistic powers, attacking Archimonde and wounding him with lightning before Jaina teleported him away. After a great battle Archimonde was finally destroyed and the Burning Legion was defeated.[24]

Founding of Orgrimmar

Following the victory at Mount Hyjal and the defeat of the Burning Legion, Thrall gathered his people and resolved to find a place for them in the rugged, beautiful lands of the Barrens. He founded Durotar, named after his heroic father.[25] Its capital city was Orgrimmar, named for Orgrim Doomhammer. After many months, things began to pull together. The orcs were fleshing out Durotar,[26] the tauren had gone into Mulgore,[27] and the trolls had settled on the Echo Isles off the coast.[28]

Thrall was soon met by Rexxar, a son of the Mok'Nathal, who had tried but failed to save Thrall's scout Mogrin from a group of quilboars. Thrall, though saddened by Mogrin's death, welcomed Rexxar to the newly crowned land. Rexxar declined, insisting he would need to earn his keep. Thrall agreed, and sent Rexxar to speak to various citizens of Orgrimmar to see what he could do to assist them in their tasks. He also asked Rokhan the shadow hunter to assist Rexxar. The two were later joined by a wandering pandaren brewmaster named Chen Stormstout, who had been searching the area for ingredients to use in his new concoction. After Rexxar helped him find those ingredients, Chen tagged along with the troll and the Mok'Nathal, eager for adventure. Thrall waited in Orgrimmar, helping build the city.[26]

Rexxar performed his deeds successfully, and Thrall began to respect the beastmaster. Rexxar soon brought ill news that humans were amassing on the shores of Durotar. Thrall was troubled. The treaty he had made with Jaina was in hopes that such incursions would not happen. After several more encounters with human hostiles, there was a summit arranged between Thrall and Jaina. Rexxar encouraged Thrall to send him in his place, sensing a trap. Thrall reluctantly agreed. Sure enough, the "emissaries" were uninterested in talk and unsuccessfully tried to kill Rexxar and his friends after expressing disappointment that Thrall himself had not come to be slaughtered.[26]

Rexxar returned and told Thrall of the deception. Unable to believe that Jaina would order such a thing, Thrall prepared a note for Rexxar to secret into Theramore to arrange a parlay with Jaina herself. Only by meeting face to face could they ensure any sort of peace between the two races.[26]

After hearing Rexxar's report of Admiral Proudmoore's arrival and intent against the orcs, Thrall realized that the only way to prevent another war was to assault Admiral Proudmoore's base and kill him. With Rexxar's help, Thrall enlisted the aid of his old friend Cairne and the tauren, as well as the Stonemaul ogres.[29] While preparations were being made to storm Theramore, Thrall was informed that the island was surrounded by a blockade of ships that the assembled force had no way of breaching. Thrall was frustrated by this news. Then Jaina teleported onto the scene. She assured everybody that she came in peace. She had known nothing of her father's plans and didn't know what to do, she said. Thrall was sympathetic, but told her that her father's actions could destroy Durotar and that the only way to ensure the security of the new nation and his people was to kill Daelin.[30]

Jaina understood and was willing to help, even if it meant the death of her father. She told Thrall the location of a nearby goblin shipyard which could supply him with ships to break through the admiral's blockade. She begged Thrall to spare as many of her men as possible in the coming battle; even though most of them were following her father, they were the only family she had left after the fall of Lordaeron. Thrall gave her his word that he would try to keep bloodshed on the human side to a minimum and advised Jaina to get to safety, since the battle was about to start.[30]

Using the ships acquired from the goblins, Thrall's forces were able to fight their way onto the isle, where they proceeded to engage Daelin Proudmoore's troops.[30] Rexxar, Rokhan, Chen, and Cairne fought their way directly to Admiral Proudmoore himself and engaged him in combat. Before the battle was over Thrall tried to convince the admiral that this Horde was different from the one he had faced years ago, that they had no interest in conquest or murder. Proudmoore raged that Thrall's race was guilty of genocide, they would never be able to atone for their rampage through Stormwind and Lordaeron that had left countless innocent people dead. He grimly vowed he would never stop fighting the orcs, and thus Rexxar was forced to kill him as Thrall had predicted.[31]

As soon as Daelin Proudmoore fell, Rexxar shouted that the battle was over and ordered the human forces to stand down. They complied. Jaina fell to her knees near her father's body, asking him why he couldn't have listened. Rexxar tried to ease the sorceress' pain by telling her that her father was a proud warrior above all else, and he should be remembered as such. Thrall proclaimed the Horde had no quarrel with the surviving humans and the Horde would leave Theramore in peace. He then took his forces back to Durotar and left Jaina to her mourning.[31]

Grateful to Rexxar for all he had done, Thrall extended an invitation to the Mok'Nathal to stay and make a home for himself in Durotar. Rexxar politely declined, telling Thrall that he was a wanderer and his place was in the wilds. He promised Thrall that he was part of the Horde, however, and that if his help was ever needed again he would be there. So Thrall said goodbye to Rexxar and resumed building Durotar. For the moment, all was well.[31]

Cycle of Hatred

Three years passed, and Orgrimmar swelled. However, a series of minor incidents between the Durotar orcs and Theramore humans threatened the stability of the entire area. Thrall and Jaina desperately attempted to keep the peace, but a small segment of the Horde slipped from Thrall's control. His chief warrior Burx took an army of orcs and trolls to Northwatch Hold, the same keep Admiral Proudmoore had used for his operations, and demanded the humans dismantle it. A battle began after the humans refused. Jaina contacted Thrall with information that Burx was working for the orcish end of the Burning Blade cult. The Burning Blade at the time was being controlled by the demon Zmodlor. Infuriated at the idea that an orc would once again serve the Legion, Thrall stopped the battle with aid from the Spirits and denounced Burx. When the warrior protested that he was acting in the Horde's interests, Thrall smashed his skull with the Doomhammer.

The events prompted Jaina and Thrall to pursue a more official Horde/Alliance treaty. Despite the rising tensions, their treaty temporarily halted the cycle of hatred.

Thrall returned to his palace in the Valley of Wisdom in Orgrimmar. Despite the defeat of the Burning Legion and the elder Proudmoore, the Warchief's life was still far from dull. Threats to Durotar from outside and within would force him to remain ever vigilant.

Return to Draenor

A faction of orcs exist in Outland who remain untouched by demonic corruption. These orcs call themselves the Mag'har, and are comprised of various orcish clans who chose not to join Magtheridon's legion of fel orcs. They appear to have been completely unaffected by the corruption wrought by Kil'jaeden.

Upon hearing of them, Thrall made plans to journey to Outland to contact them. His advisors urged Thrall to make proper defensive preparations for his absence, instead of leaving Orgrimmar and the rest of the orcs on Azeroth open to attack.

It is during this foray into Outland that Thrall meets Greatmother Geyah, his grandmother. She reveals to him his birthname: Go'el, son of Durotan and rightful chieftain of the Frostwolves. Thrall also reveals to a young Garrosh Hellscream how his father, Grom, died a hero's death and freed his people of the Blood Curse.

Theramore Peace Summit

Returning from Draenor, Thrall made Garrosh Hellscream one of his advisers. This position was also granted to gladiator master Rehgar Earthfury. Rehgar and Garrosh have very different viewpoints: Garrosh wanted to destroy the Alliance, the Horde's enemy, and take Azeroth for the Horde; Reghar wanted to remain open to diplomacy and preserve their treaty of non-aggression with Theramore.

Thrall received a message from Jaina to meet at Razor Hill during this time. At their meeting, Jaina informed him that Varian had returned and narrated to Thrall the history of Varian's abduction. With Varian's return and willing attendance, Jaina wanted to schedule another peace summit at Theramore in the hopes of easing tensions between the Horde and Alliance. Though Thrall felt uneasy about leaving Orgrimmar during a period when the orcs were feeling restless with Thrall's passive tolerance with the Alliance, Thrall none the less agreed to attend the summit.[32]

When Thrall brought with him his two advisers: Rehgar and Garrosh[33] and some Kor'kron.[34] Reghar recommended Thrall not bring Garrosh, but the Warchief thought it would be a good idea as it would help Garrosh re-think his attitude toward the humans.[33]

Thrall in the comic.

Thrall traveled in a zeppelin to Theramore,[33] where he had a peaceful discussion with an eye toward mutual gain. The leaders first talked of their pasts and then discussed resource problems, like the Horde's war against the night elves for lumber. Varian offered to provide Thrall's people with lumber and in exchange the Warchief offered copper and exotic hides. Varian had to end the summit early as Goldshire and Southshore were reported to be under simultaneous distress by the Scourge.

Thrall and Varian were about to depart amicably, but upon exiting Theramore, the Twilight's Hammer clan invaded the city. The Alliance races of the Twilight cultists attacked the Horde representatives while the Horde races of the Twilight cultists attacked the Alliance representatives. After catching a glimpse of Garona, Varian suspected Thrall had sent her to assassinate him as the Shadow Council had done in the past with his father.[34]

Garrosh blamed the Alliance for the attack while Varian blamed the Horde, specifically Garrosh. Thrall tried to calm the heated parties, reminding them to refrain from jumping to conclusions. He tried to convince Varian that Garona's unexpected assassination attempt was not of his people's making, yet Varian remained skeptical of the honor of orcs. Rehgar and Valeera both were sure that neither Thrall nor Varian would stoop to an assassination tactic on neutral ground and tried to rationalize the surprising turn of events. Jaina and Thrall bid each other farewell, both sorry that any chance of a human-orc alliance was ruined. The attack had shaken the delicate human-orc tolerances, leaving both factions in distrust of one another.[35]

After consulting Saurfang and the spirits, Thrall favored a more cautious approach to dealing with the Scourge: an advance scouting party to the frozen continent before committing troops, as well as meeting with Jaina Proudmoore to find out what the Alliance were planning to do about the Lich King.[37] Garrosh felt that dealing with the Alliance would put the Horde in danger. He wanted to take the Horde's armies, conquer the humans, and then march to Northrend and crush the Scourge, advocating that the Horde should rule all of Azeroth.[38] Thrall, irritated by Garrosh's recklessness and bold challenges to his authority, answered that the humans were not a threat[38] and that he would not underestimate the Lich King by walking blindly into a Scourge trap.[37] In order to make an example of Garrosh's impudence, Thrall then provoked Garrosh to challenge him to a duel by saying that he would not make the same mistakes as his father, Grom Hellscream. Frustrated with his leader's apparent lack of action and the insults to his father, Garrosh challenged Thrall to a duel in the Ring of Valor to settle the matter.[37][38] The two orcs fought for some time until it seemed Garrosh had gained the upper hand.[37] He began to taunt Thrall, but the battle was interrupted by a Herald of the Lich King, threatening Orgrimmar with destruction.[37] Hearing this, Thrall used Chain Lightning on Garrosh[38] and both left the ring, with Thrall warning the younger Hellscream that they would settle their dispute later.[37][38] The city was attacked by countless abominations and frost wyrms[37] and a few death knights.[38]

Thrall and Garrosh led the forces of the Horde in repelling the Scourge attack, with the help of Saurfang, Sylvanas,[37] Reghar,[38] the city defenders, and some adventurers. After the Scourge assault force had been dealt with, Garrosh asked to be sent to Northrend. Thrall agreed and ordered Saurfang to begin preparations for war.[37]

Broken Peace

As the combined Horde and Alliance forces began their assault upon Angrathar the Wrathgate, an uprising broke out within the Forsaken capital Undercity. Varimathras and hordes of his demonic brethren overran the city, slaying all those who would not submit to their dark rule. Sylvanas was nearly killed in the coup, but managed to escape with a number of loyalists, fleeing to Orgrimmar. Determined not to allow the Dreadlords a foothold in Horde territory, Thrall and Sylvanas planned an immediate counter-attack. In the midst of their planning, Jaina Proudmoore arrived bearing terrible news: in the wake of Bolvar Fordragon's death, Varian had ordered an assault on the Undercity to bring Bolvar's murderer, Grand Apothecary Putress, a Varimathras loyalist, to justice and to retake Lordaeron for the Alliance.

Thrall, with Sylvanas and Vol'jin, led the assault into the Undercity to reclaim it for the Horde. After fighting the Forsaken rebels and demons within, the combined might of the Horde slew the traitorous demon Varimathras. However, the joy of victory was short-lived as Varian, having killed Putress and hearing the orcish cries of victory, arrived on the scene. He confronted Thrall and declared that peace could never be achieved after discovering the horrors the Forsaken had created in Undercity. Just as the two forces charged at one another, Jaina stopped them from killing each other by teleporting Varian, herself, and the Alliance army back to Stormwind.

Thrall lamented the broken peace between the Alliance and the Horde. In order to ensure that no more Legion-aligned abominations crawled out of the Apothecarium, Thrall sent a legion of Kor'kron Guard led by Bragor Bloodfist to guard the Undercity from threats outside of it and any that may remain within following [74] The Battle For The Undercity.

Secrets of Ulduar

When Brann Bronzebeard learned that the Old GodYogg-Saron had escaped his ancient prison in Ulduar he hastily informed Rhonin, who asked Jaina to summon Thrall and Varian to the Violet Citadel for an emergency council. Correctly guessing the gravity of the situation, Thrall made haste to Dalaran with Garrosh. Upon arriving at the Violet Citadel, he was intercepted by Jaina, who was desperate to avoid a confrontation with Varian, who was already within. When Jaina told them what had happened, Thrall listened to Garrosh's doubts with irritation, then proceeded to Rhonin's chambers. Predictably, Varian and Garrosh exchanged harsh words that eventually led to a fight.

Thrall was unable to stop the fight, but a frustrated Rhonin succeeded in doing so. Rhonin pleaded to all in the room to put aside their differences and work together against their common threat. Varian flatly refused and departed, citing the events of the Wrathgate as reason to never work with the Horde again; Garrosh offered his opinion that a true warchief would never partner with cowards. Thrall expressed disappointment at Garrosh's actions.[39]

Calming the Elements

After a meeting with Jaina Proudmoore and Eitrigg, Thrall decided to travel to Nagrand in Outland to converse with the elements in an attempt to discover why the elements in Azeroth were so out of control. He appointed Garrosh Hellscream acting warchief of the Horde and presented him with Gorehowl before setting out on his quest.

Thrall bestows upon Garrosh his father's famed axe.

Upon his arrival, he met with his grandmother, who advised him to turn to the Mag'har female Aggra for shamanic instruction. Aggra wasn't particularly fond of Thrall and often made comments about and toward him bordering on the snide, sometimes referring to him as "Slave." However, she dutifully took him on a vision quest in Garadar so he would become truly connected to the spirits, and a true shaman.

Thrall eventually met with the elements of Draenor, the Furies. All except the Fury of Earth were unable to help him understand what was happening in Azeroth. However the Fury of Earth was able to help after ingesting a small rock Thrall had brought with him from Azeroth. The Fury informed him that the elements were afraid of a shattering, a cataclysm akin to the one that had broken Draenor.

As Thrall prepared to return to Azeroth to prevent the cataclysm, Aggra revealed she had been growing more and more attracted to him and wanted to go with him to Azeroth, but only if he refused to be weak. Thrall welcomed her company, as he had begun to slowly grow closer to her, and the two journeyed to Azeroth together.

Upon returning, Thrall learned the Grimtotem tauren had staged a coup, that Cairne Bloodhoof was dead, and that Garrosh was the unwitting killer. He attended his old friend's funeral to bid a final farewell. His heart was heavy knowing how his last encounter with his most cherished friend consisted of harsh words. The former warchief took with him the smallest piece of his old friend's runespear to forever remember him. The fragment was etched with a single rune, whose meaning did not escape Thrall: "healing".

Not long after, a massive earthquake hit. The cataclysm had begun. A tsunami hit Booty Bay, a sinkhole appeared off the coast of Westfall, and the very ground split beneath Thrall's feet. Thrall decided to make his way to the Maelstrom, which he sensed was the epicenter of the cataclysmic event. There he might use his shamanistic powers to quell the fury of the elements. Aggra agreed to go with him, and they set out together, sailing for the Maelstrom on a ship named Draka's Fury.

Cataclysm

Draka's Fury is attacked by the Alliance on its way to the Maelstrom, Thrall captured by members of SI:7. The Bilgewater Cartel goblins were caught in the crossfire while fleeing their home of Kezan. Thrall remained a captive until rescued by them, learning that his beloved Aggra survived the destruction of the ship.

In gratitude, Thrall aided the goblins in their battles across the Isles. After defeating Trade Prince Gallywix, he proclaimed the Cartel could join the Horde and have a home in Azshara; he even graciously allowed Gallywix to remain as the Cartel's leader.

As tensions within the Horde began to rise in Thrall's absence, notably between Warchief Garrosh and Chieftain Vol'jin, Thrall stepped back into the picture to reassure the Darkspear chieftain that Garrosh was the right choice to keep their Horde united.

As one of (if not the) pre-eminent shamans of Azeroth, Thrall joined with the Earthen Ring. He journeyed to the Maelstrom at the center of the Great Sea, where Deathwing made his return to Azeroth from the depths of Deepholm. The corrupted Aspect's entry shattered the barriers between Azeroth and the Elemental Plane, and Thrall lent his powers to stabilize the rift.

Twilight of the Aspects

Following Thrall's failure to delve deep into himself during a relatively routine ritual alongside the other mighty shaman of the Earthen Ring, Thrall and Aggra began to feel the strain of life at the Maelstrom. Despite the encouraging words of his good friends Nobundo and Rehgar, Thrall found himself at a loss as to how he could aid his comrades. Aggra translated this doubt as a longing for the Horde, which Thrall angrily denied. After arguing, Thrall left their sanctuary to clear his head.

Thrall and Aggra

Elsewhere, however, events were being put into motion beyond Thrall's control. Wyrmrest Temple was attacked and taken over by the Twilight's Hammer cult, Alexstrasza's consort Korialstrasz appearing to betray the Accord. The sanctums beneath the temple were destroyed, as well as the unhatched eggs. Distraught, the embittered Alexstrasza disbanded the Accord. Ysera, who was present to witness this, appeared before Thrall in her kaldorei guise.

Ysera asked Thrall to undertake a journey of seemingly minor proportions to relieve a small druid camp in Feralas of a rampant fire elemental. Though Thrall was dubious as to why a shaman needed at the Maelstrom would be tasked with such a thing, he accepted upon learning of his new companion's true identity. With Ysera's urging, Thrall and Snowsong set out to the find the camp.

Thrall was surprised to see the camp was inhabited mainly by night elf sentinels. After some mutual hostility, Thrall conversed with the fire elemental, its attitude reminiscent of those who had attacked Orgrimmar prior to the cataclysm, and convinced it to leave. Thrall's reputation with the gathered kaldorei increased immensely, and the former warchief spent the evening feasting and drinking with them as friends.

An elf named Desharin approached Thrall and urged him to go into the local woodland. After speaking with the relieved ancients, Desharin revealed himself as a green dragon. He informed Thrall that Ysera had a far more important task for him and him alone.

Desharin took Thrall to the Caverns of Time, where they were admitted entry by the bronze dragons on Ysera's behalf. While there, the two were attacked by a mysterious human in eerily familiar armour. Desharin is beheaded by the assailant, and the stranger and Thrall battle. The figure is able to match Thrall’s abilities with a strange mastery over time, cloaking his presence to deliver devastating blows upon the former warchief. The bronze dragons interrupted the battle, and Thrall is instructed to flee through a time portal. As he makes his leave, Thrall cannot help but sense a strong aura of familiarity from the attacker.

On the other end of the time portal, Thrall found himself at a late point in the Second War. Though overwhelmed by the possibilities, such as reuniting with Doomhammer, he remained mindful that the timeline must be preserved. He was mistaken as a warlock by an orcish patrol party and taken to a neighbouring base camp. To Thrall's astonishment, he caught a glimpse of Doomhammer inside, along with his parents, both Durotan and Draka.

Struggling to avert his gaze from them, he is approached by Draka, with an infant Thrall in tow. After an awkward conversation with his mother, Thrall joined the escort taking his parents to safety with the patrol who picked him up to begin with. However, this party was none other than the one responsible for betraying his parents on the orders of Gul'dan, and Thrall is forced to watch his parents be killed. For the sake of preserving the timelines, Thrall held back killing his parents' murderers, though it took all his strength.

Shattered, Thrall approached the body of his father. He swore to a dying Durotan that his child would live, that their people would be redeemed, and that the orcs would have a land of their own. Durotan died secure in this knowledge. However, Desharin’s murderer reappeared in this timeway, and attacked Thrall once more. He informed Thrall that his death is all that's on his agenda, and that killing him as a child would be far easier than his adult self. Thrall hurled his attacker into a neighbouring river. The two struggled for a time, though after noticing a curious glittering of bronze scales, Thrall was taken to another point in time and his attacker disappeared once more.

Thrall dressed in new garb, weilding the Doomhammer

Thrall came face to face with a slightly older Taretha, embittered by what appears to have been a far harsher life. After convincing her of who he was, showing her an identical necklace to prove it, Taretha informed him of some damning news: in this timeline, Thrall had died as a child. Blackmoore, robbed of his prized future-gladiator, did the unexpected: rather than fall further into drink and depression, he sobered up, conscripted mercenaries into his new army, and trained them all himself. Gaining huge support, Blackmoore led his army against Orgrim Doomhammer and slew the Horde warchief in one-on-one combat. Rather than have the orcs killed, Blackmoore engaged in a secret pact with them to join him and overthrow the Alliance. Blackmoore killed Terenas Menethil, slaughtered Uther the Lightbringer and Anduin Lothar, usurping the kingdom of Lordaeron and deposing House Menethil.

Thrall could barely believe it, especially the thought of the pathetic, drunk Blackmoore taking down the mighty Orgrim in a fair battle. He and Taretha traveled to Dalaran, where they were admitted to Krasus' presence. Thrall granted him the ancient’s acorn, and Krasus warily assisted Thrall and Taretha in finding a way to break this false timeway. The three came to realize that not only is their "timeline" false, but "time" itself was the illusion. The understanding shattered the timeway, and Thrall finally found the Aspect of Time, Nozdormu, awaiting him.

Nozdormu began to piece together the various events that occurred in both the alternate and true timeline. To their immense shock, Nozdormu discovered the great Aspect’s retreat from the world was in order to find the cause of a dire event destined to happen in the future and to avert it. This event would be Nozdormu founding and presiding over the Infinite Dragonflight. Nozdormu also admitted that he was responsible for sending the assassin after Thrall. At this point, Thrall came to realize his mysterious assailant’s identity, that of the missing Blackmoore from the false timeline. Regardless of this pressing matter, Nozdormu thanked Thrall for giving him clarity, and set him on another task: to find and (hopefully) lift Alexstrasza from her grief over Krasus’ demise, and to convince the blue dragonflight to set aside its differences with the others and join forces against the impending darkness.

Thrall and Tick set out to confront the bereaved Life-Binder. The two found her in the barren wasteland of Desolace. Though Alextrasza rebuked his comfort and banished him from her sight, Thrall did not give up hope for the Life-Binder. Thrall journeyed to the Nexus, and after an extremely cold reception, is admitted audience with Arygos and Kalecgos. Though Kalecgos went out of his way to make his orcish visitor comfortable, conjuring scenery of Horde-designed indulgences to make him seem more at home, Arygos was on edge with the visitor and even went so far as to suggest his death. Thrall learned the blue dragonflight was in the process of electing its next Aspect, and that the two most likely candidates were Maylgos’ ferocious son, Arygos, and none other than Kalecgos. An event known as the "Embrace" was set to occur shortly, a time where the two moons of Azeroth meet in what cosmetically appears to be the form of a mother embracing her child, hence the name. This sacred event heralded a celestial time for the blue dragons, and their best chance of truly empowering a new Aspect for their flight.

To Thrall’s great relief, and to Kalecgos’ great bemusement, Kalecgos was chosen as the new Aspect. The flight as a whole was pleased with this decision, and watched eagerly as their new leader was empowered by the titans’ might. Arygos, enraged, cursed the flight for fools, abandoning Coldarra.

As the flight celebrated its new leader’s ascension, twilight dragons interrupted the ceremony. Thrall leapt atop Kalec's back, and the two proved a formidable fighting force. After disposing of several of the creatures, the blues gave chase to the fleeing remainder. They arrived at Wyrmrest Temple, catching sight of the semi-functional Chromatus. The blues pressed on, fighting back the twilight dragonflight. Chromatus, now awakened with the blood of the murdered Arygos, joined in the battle, and cut a swathe of destruction through the blues. Thrall was hurled from Kalec in the ensuing chaos, and found his footing in the snow. As he called upon the aid of the elements, he was granted a peculiar vision of Krasus’ final moments, and resolved to inform the Life-Binder of the truth behind his demise.

Thrall was brutally attacked by a newly-arrived Blackmoore. Wielding the Doomhammer in tandem with his powerful elemental skill, Thrall caught his mortal enemy off-guard. Blackmoore was lambasted by Thrall's summoned wind-vortex and collapsed on the floor before his former slave. As Thrall moved in to deal the final blow, Blackmoore begged for his life. Though Thrall took no pleasure in the act, he refused to relent. He brought the Doomhammer down upon Blackmoore and conquered the shadow he cast over Thrall's life for good.

Elsewhere, the blue dragons were beaten back by the powerful Chromatus. Kalec had Thrall rescued by one of his drakes, though the strain of leadership in the wake of their defeat began to gnaw at the new Aspect of Magic. Thrall encouraged Kalec to remain strong, and he left once more for Desolace.

Thrall found Alextrasza in an even more shattered state. He shared with her the vision he was granted, and in solemn silence, the two witnessed Krasus' heroic sacrifice to protect the Wyrmrests' unhatched children from being born as chromatic beasts. Reinvigorated, the Life-Binder traveled to the Nexus to join forces with the new Aspect of Magic.

Before long, the red, blue, and green dragonflights were reunited with their respective Aspects. With their might combined, they left to battle the murderous Chromatus and his ilk. After a vicious battle, Chromatus reached his full potential and overpowered all three of the mighty Aspects. The downhill fight was turned by the arrival of Nozdormu and his bronze flight. The Aspect of Time suggested they work together, in the most fundamental sense of the word, to defeat the creature that embodied all of their traits and powers. Chromatus, however, had a head for each dragonflight, and there were no black dragons present to assist in this task. Thrall, as a shaman, offered to take on that role. In their humanoid forms, the aspects opened themselves along with Thrall to truly gain a sense of unity; while he struggled to hold the ceremony together, Thrall succeeded in his role in Neltharion's stead. Knowing that he could never become as Aspect, he remained content with the notion that he could assist his allies in their hour of need.

The four Aspects launched a volley of powerful abilities at the stunned Chromatus, who could not bring himself to counter the volatile new powers at their disposal. The chromatic dragon was blasted downwards; the Twilight Father in tow.

Chromatus' lifeless body was stored in a specifically-made arcane prison by the blue dragonflight, as it seemed impossible to completely eradicate him.

Later, the Aspects and Thrall met on the top of Wyrmrest Temple, where Nozdormu informed the group of a plot by the Old Gods to destroy the dragonflights. The hour of Twilight was fast approaching and the Dragonflights, thanks to Thrall's help, would now be ready to face it. Thrall was given both the thanks and a scale each of the dragon aspects.

Tick took him back to Aggra's side, where the two orcs overcame their past differences. Thrall acknowledged that he had been a slave to outside influences his entire life, though resolved to see that end.

Knowing that greater trials still approached on the horizon, Thrall cast off his name, proclaiming himself "Go'el."

Rage of the Firelands

At the Maelstrom, Thrall strained to commune with the elements. Able to feel how broken the world was, and with the elements remaining silent, Thrall told Aggra that he would have to work without limits to fulfill this task. As he pondered the meaning of this, his elemental calls were finally answered by none other than Ragnaros the Firelord. Ragnaros gave Thrall a vision of the Firelands, assuring him that its flames would engulf both the world tree and the world beyond it, showing Thrall's reinforced home of Orgrimmar washed over in a tide of fire as the final Hour of Twilight approached. Stunned, Thrall fell to the ground, and the cackling Firelord dissipated. Thrall began his journey to Mount Hyjal with Aggra.

The Firelord appears to Thrall in a vision.

After the druids and their allies thwarted the invasion of Hyjal by the Twilight's Hammer and Ragnaros, an air of peace settled on the sacred mountain. As new growth bloomed across the region, members of the Earthen Ring and Cenarion Circle, along with the noble Dragon Aspects, convened at the ancient World Tree of Nordrassil. Among the gathered heroes were the legendary archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, the former Horde warchief and accomplished shaman Thrall, and his strong-willed companion, Aggra. Together, this illustrious assemblage was to unite its wondrous powers and restore the World Tree for the good of Azeroth.

Yet this auspicious event ended in tragedy. An incredibly powerful Twilight's Hammer agent, shrouded to hide his identity, interrupted the ceremony and struck down Thrall with dark magics... casting his spirit into the four domains of the Elemental Plane. The Aspects conceded that Thrall may be lost to the elements forever, but Aggra believed her mate could be saved and called on the aid of adventures of both the Horde and the Alliance to venture into the Skywall, the Abyssal Maw, Deepholm, and Firelands to rescue her beloved from an eternity of torment.

The identity of Thrall's assailant was revealed to be none other than the former Archdruid of Darnassus, Fandral Staghelm, allied with Ragnaros and Deathwing. Noting that an individual known as the "Twilight Prophet" had deemed Thrall the cult's final obstacle, Fandral went about removing him from the picture. Not with death, but turning Thrall's great bond with the elements against him, his raw essence scattered to their elemental domains.

Thrall's self-doubt manifested itself in the plane of wind, where he expressed regret over his decision to pronounce Garrosh Warchief, noting that he would lead the Horde to ruin. He mentioned that he had failed both the Horde and the Earthen Ring, and that he was unworthy of Aggra. He lamented that he believed his own weakness delivered Azeroth into the face of ruin. The plane of water displayed Thrall's desire, where he was seen laying down his weapon in front of Varian and making peace with his enemies. It was also shown that he desired to be free of the burdens of leadership and start a family with Aggra. Thrall's patience was viewed in the plane of earth, where he was frozen in stone to symbolize his patience and resolve. Thrall's raw, unhinged emotion was seen in the plane of fire: Thrall's hatred towards Gul'dan; for the murder of his parents; Varian, for declaring war upon the Horde; Blackmoore, for the act of forcibly enslaving another; and even Thrall's rage towards Garrosh for his role in Cairne's demise.

Ultimately, Thrall's essence is restored. He and Aggra returned to the world tree, where Thrall declared his love for Aggra, and the two became life mates.

Charge of the Aspects

As Thrall and the other Aspects, including the newly-elevated Kalecgos, debated on how to defeat Deathwing, the shaman's spirit communed with the earth and took an earthen form. It was there that he encountered Deathwing, using the power of the Old Gods to imprison his spirit within. The corrupted Aspect mocked Thrall, believing that the Aspects sought to replace him as Earth-Warder with the mortal shaman, and claiming that the "gift" he had been granted by the Titans - his charge to defend Azeroth - was in fact a curse, imprisoning him to his duty. To demonstrate, he allowed Thrall to experience what it was like to have the weight of the earth on his shoulders, claiming that this was what the Aspects wanted - "to damn you to a life of eternal torment". He then unleashed a series of scathing attacks against Thrall's earthen form; because the shaman had embraced Azeroth, and Azeroth embraced him, his "wounds" materialized in the physical world in the form of earthquakes. Finally, the Aspects called on the Earthen Ring and the Cenarion Circle to break Deathwing's hold, bringing Thrall back to himself.

The Aspects decided that in order to defeat Deathwing, they would have to acquire the Dragon Soul in its "purest form", a period not long after its creation during the War of the Ancients ten millennia earlier. As the Soul was imbued with a powerful enchantment to prevent dragonkind from ever using it, the Aspects called on Thrall to be the wielder of the Dragon Soul in the battle against Deathwing.

Hour of Twilight

With Mount Hyjal secure and Ragnaros defeated, Thrall was tasked by the dragon aspects with taking the place of the maddened earthwarder once more. To this end, the defenders of Azeroth acquired the much-coveted Dragon Soul from the a pivotal point in the past. Ultimately, heroes of Azeroth were successful in both claiming the Dragon Soul and averting a cataclysmic alternate timeline, woven by the corrupted aspect of time, Murozond. The Dragon Soul was delivered to Thrall, who made his way to to Wyrmrest Temple in order to defeat Neltharion for good.

Fighting his way through the snow-covered vestiges of an old god-corrupted Dragonblight, Thrall did battle with a treacherous blood elven contract killer known as Asira Dawnslayer. After claiming victory, Thrall healed the drake she had slain, and made his way to the inner sanctum of the temple astride it. As heroes arrived to rejoin forces with Go'el, the Twilight Prophet (former Archbishop Benedictus) made an appearance and attacked Thrall in an attempt to take back the Dragon Soul. Like Asira before him, Benedictus fell before Thrall, and the son of Durotan left to make preparations for the final battle.

With the Dragon Soul in hand, Thrall and the dragon aspects Alexstraza, Ysera, Nozdormu, and Kalecgos prepared to defeat Deathwing, while the united dragonflights and a group of mortal heroes fended off attacks from the forces of Twilight. Atop Wyrmrest, moments after the defeat of the twilight dragon Ultraxion, Thrall unleashed the artifact's power directly at Deathwing, damaging his armor and causing the Aspect of Death to attempt an escape. Pursuing Deathwing aboard the Skybreaker, Thrall yet again unleashed the powers of the Dragon Soul, giving his allies an opportunity to board the corrupted Aspect and remove his elementium plating.

Finally, as an enraged Deathwing collapsed into the Maelstrom, Thrall and the Aspects assisted in defeating the mutated abomination that was once Neltharion, now a seathing monster of complete hatred, completely corrupted by the Old God N'Zoth.

As the Dragon Aspects pulled themselves together Alexstraza revealed that she and the other Dragon Aspects were now mortal, having fulfilled their great purpose, that of safeguarding Azeroth. But although there time was nearing an end, new generations would be born. Alexstraza then gently touched Aggra's stomach, saying that new generations would be born implying Aggra is pregnant and bearing Thrall's Child.

The Earth-Warder

From the spell description of his buff in the Deathwing Raid: "Thrall, now the Earth-Warder of Azeroth, blesses all tanks with the immovable strength of the ancient stones of the world. Reduces defensive cooldowns by 50% and increases defensive ability durations by 100%." Thrall is confirmed to be the new Earth-Warder taking in the shoes of the last Earth-Warder, the dragon aspect of earth, Neltharion (Deathwing).
Source:
Last Defender of Azeroth.

Mists of Pandaria

This article or section needs to be cleaned up to a higher standard of quality.

This may include editing to correct spelling and grammar, rewriting sections to ensure they are clear and concise, and wikifying.

It was revealed in the March 2012 Mists of Pandaria Press Event that Garrosh will be the final boss for the Mists of Pandaria expansion, as both factions recognize his growing instability and lust for power.[40] This means a new Warchief will be appointed and most assume Thrall will return, but Zarhym has hinted that the new Warchief may not be who everyone expects.[41]

Some time after the fall of Deathwing, Thrall went back to Durotar with Aggra. First he went to the Valley of Trials. There an adventurer came to him with Vol'jin's hearthstone. The Horde soldier said that the troll chieftain was nearly killed by Horde assassins. Thrall, understanding the implications of this, immediately traveled to the Echo Isles where he met a Kor'kron Guard who was loyal only to Garrosh. Thrall killed him and the other Kor'kron, who had imprisoned the trolls. Some have surrendered and knelt before him, and Thrall has begun to retake the Horde secretly from Garrosh.[citation needed]

Videos

Memorable quotes

Lore quotes

"The beginning of wisdom is the statement 'I do not know.' The person who cannot make that statement is one who will never learn anything. And I have prided myself on my ability to learn."[42]

"Blackmoore gave me the name so I would never forget that I was something he owned, that I belonged to him. I never will. I will keep the name, and one day, when I see him again, he will be the one who remembers what he did to me, and regret it with all his heart."[43]

"How easily the mind can be turned to hate from a place of fear - an instinctive, natural, protective response. Instead of focusing on the things that unite us, we focus on what divides us."[45]

"To pretend it did not exist is to forget how dreadful the impact was. To make ourselves into victims, rather than claiming our participation in our own destruction. We chose this path, we orcs. We chose it right up until it was too late to turn back. And having made that choice, we can, with the knowledge that we have of the end of that dark and shameful road, choose not to take it."[46]

"I can only pray to the ancestors that I am never placed in the same position as my father—torn between what I know in my heart is right and the defense of my people. It is why I continue to strive to uphold the tenuous peace between us and the Alliance. Because few offenses and insults in this or any other world are sufficient to warrant the slaughter of children."[47]

"I offer no judgment on anyone save a handful of individuals who knew full well what they were doing, knew that they were trading the lives and destiny of their people for gratification in the moment, and did so gleefully. For the others...I can only shake my head and be grateful that I was not forced to make the choices they did."[48]

"When I reached adulthood, I became Orgrim's friend, as had my father before; and it is I who have fulfilled the prophecy of the Doomhammer. In their honor, this land is named Durotar, its greatest city, Orgrimmar."[49]

"I have dreamed of this moment all my life, Greatmother. 'Till now, all I've had were Orgrim's stories about my parents and their adventures on Draenor. He was my greatest teacher and dearest friend. He died a hero... They all died as heroes - and for all of them, a song of honor remains."

"Blood and thunder, champions of the Horde! We fight on this day for our fallen brothers and sisters! Mourn them not for they all died with honor in their hearts! Though we face great conflict, our might combined shall obliterate those who would oppose us! The grave injustices committed against the Horde will be met by an unstoppable force of reckoning!"

"COWARD! You think to stop the Warchief of the Horde with pebbles? I will show you the true power of the elements!"

"It ends like it began...All that we have fought for in this world is lost. The hopes and dreams carried by my father and mother... by Doomhammer... Gone...If only you were here right now, old friend. You would know what to do."

"Garrosh... Garrosh... Cairne was my brother!"

"King Varian. You wish to make war on my people? You shall have your war human. You will see the fury of the Horde rage through your citys. You will see your throne... split in two. This I swear!"

"My parents... murdered before I could know them. Betrayed... Gul'dan! If I must burn my way across the afterlife, I will find you in whatever hell you have hidden. I will have my revenge! Do you hear me?"

Notes

"Go'el" was the name chosen by Durotan and Draka for their only son, but they could not give him that name until the Naming Day of that cycle; when Durotan and Draka were killed, his name remained unknown to him until he met his grandmother in Garadar over two decades later.

The Thrallmar outpost on the Hellfire Peninsula in Outland is named after the Warchief. It is the Horde's staging area to recolonize the orcs' former native planet. Although few individuals will remember their planet before it exploded (Drek'Thar, for example, told the Mok'Nathal Rexxar that he fought alongside other Mok'Nathal on Draenor), all orcs will be shocked to see the state in which it lies now.

Relationship with Jaina Proudmoore

After Jaina and Thrall's forces were forced to work together after the meeting with Medivh, the two leaders soon became good friends. Thrall stated that Jaina reminds him strongly of Taretha Foxton, but Jaina has stated no specific reason for her trust in Thrall. Their relationship is nonetheless strong, even having endured the battle of Durotar, which cost Jaina her father and Thrall many of his warriors. They still consider each other allies. [citation needed]

Eitrigg once confronted Thrall about his relationship with Jaina, after a meeting that the two had shortly before the Cataclysm. Eitrigg spoke about Thrall finding a mate, and remarked what a pity it was that Jaina was not an orc, and so could not be with Thrall. Though Thrall laughed at the idea, he also reacted with hostility when Eitrigg pushed the matter.[citation needed]

Some fans have speculated that Thrall and Jaina were (or will be) romantically involved at some point, but lore and Chris Metzen have denied this.[51]

The White Punch Card that drops in Gnomeregan for the Data Rescue Alliance quest has many lines of binary code printed on it. When decoded, it reads "Thrall and Jaina sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G", as an in-game joke for the fans.

Trivia

Speculation

The name Go'el in Hebrew is derived from the verb lig'ol, "to free". A Go'el was a close Kinsman, whose duty was to perform any task a man could not perform by himself. Another duty of the Go'el was to free his kinsman from slavery — appropriate, considering Thrall's role in liberating the orcs from generations of enslavement to fel magics, as well as being held in human internment camps.

The word 'Thrall' also comes from the Norse word þræll, meaning slave, either physically enslaved or mind controlled (enthralled). This is also fitting to both being controlled by demons and later enslaved by humans.

Thrall might be somewhat inspired by Caesar of 'Planet of the Apes'. Caesar was the son of a pair of talking chimpanzees (who also were murdered like Durotan and Draka) and was also raised as a slave, until he finally rebelled and led the Apes to freedom. Like Thrall, Caesar wishes to live in peace with the humans.[53]

^Zarhym 2012-05-04. [us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4850775205?page=4#64 #64 - Anduin goes Neutral - Really?]. Official Community > General Discussion forum (US). I know what was said during the press tour, but don't be so sure yet that you know who the next warchief will be. The information provided during the press tour was... not entirely accurate.